


Secrets

by justdk



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: College, College!Adam, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 23:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11679702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justdk/pseuds/justdk
Summary: “What are you doing here?”Adam is barefoot, wrapped up in an expensive-looking silk robe patterned with koi fish and lotus blossoms. Ronan knows he should stop staring, especially taking into account the situation they’re in, but he can’t. Adam tightens the belt, pulling the robe close around his lean body.





	Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Pynch Week 2017

“What are you doing here?”

Adam is barefoot, wrapped up in an expensive-looking silk robe patterned with koi fish and lotus blossoms. Ronan knows he should stop staring, especially taking into account the situation they’re in, but he can’t. Adam tightens the belt, pulling the robe close around his lean body.

“Are you mad?” Ronan asks. He can’t meet Adam’s eyes. Instead he focuses on Adam’s hands, which are clutching the top of the robe to keep it closed. He’s flushed from the neck down and trembling. “Adam? Please say something.”

“I’m not—I’m _not_ mad.” Adam’s voice shakes and he takes a deep breath before continuing. “I thought you were coming up this afternoon, when I’m done with classes.”

Ronan fidgets, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. “I was, but I wanted to surprise you. And I drove all night. I thought I could take you for breakfast or coffee…”

Adam groans and sinks down, sitting on the floor with his back to the wall. He pulls his legs underneath him, taking care not to flash Ronan. Adam buries his face in his hands and continues making distressed noises.

“Adam…” Ronan crouches in front of him and places a careful hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay.” Adam shakes his head. “C’mon Parrish, if I was mad you would fucking know it. I’m not mad. I’m surprised, very, very surprised. But not upset. Okay? I mean, it’s your body and you can—”

“Oh my God, Ronan, just stop!” Adam pushes one hand over Ronan’s mouth. His face is red and his eyes are red and he looks suspiciously like he might cry. “Can we not do this here?”

Ronan sighs, the noise muffled by Adam’s hand. He reaches up and covers Adam’s hand with his and kisses Adam’s palm. He’s always been better about communicating his thoughts with actions instead of words and he hopes that his feelings will get through to Adam.

Of course Adam starts bawling.

“Oh shit,” Ronan mumbles. He doesn’t have any tissues so he pulls Adam to him, pressing Adam’s face to his chest so that his T-shirt can absorb Adam’s tears. He rubs Adam’s back and looks around, feeling weirdly exposed in the empty office.

It takes Adam several minutes to calm down. He says something about needing to get ready for class and Ronan turns away so that Adam can disrobe and get dressed. When he turns back around Ronan is relieved to find Adam wearing his familiar, albeit extremely worn, Coca-Cola T-shirt. Ronan plucks at the hem and Adam shrugs as if to say “what, this old thing?”

They walk across campus together. It’s late on a Friday morning and the big lawn is already busy with students studying, playing Frisbee, and setting up hammocks and beach towels. Adam is distracted but he still takes Ronan by the hand, guiding him through the masses of students to one of the on-campus coffee shops.

“What about class?” Ronan asks.

“I think…” Adam studies the chalkboard menu, choosing his words with care, “that this is more important.” Ronan stares. “What? I can afford to miss a class. Anyways, I would never be able to focus.”

“Sorry,” Ronan mutters. He can’t believe how epically he’s screwed things up by arriving ahead of schedule.

The line shuffles forward slowly. When it’s finally their turn Ronan has no idea what he wants so Adam orders them both chai lattes. They wait in silence for their drinks. Ronan can’t stop looking at Adam. It’s been over a month since they’ve seen each other in person, since their totally ridiculous spring break trip to the beach. Adam’s still as tan as ever, still fit and slender and gorgeous and… Ronan can’t stop seeing him, the way he looked in the silk robe, the way he looked before that…

“Ronan.” Adam elbows him. Ronan blinks and shakes his head. “You were staring,” Adam points out. He’s smiling, just a little, and it makes Ronan’s heart skip a beat. _It’s going to be okay_.

“C’mon, let’s go to the library. We can talk in one of the study rooms.” Ronan nods and follows Adam to the library. It’s a massive building, four floors, one of which is devoted to study rooms and research cubicles. Adam, being one of the student workers, arranges for him and Ronan to have a study room and the girl who signs the room out to them gives Ronan a not so subtle thumbs up. He pretends not to notice.

The room is furnished with a table, rolling chairs, and a whiteboard. Generic artwork decorates the beige walls. Everything about the room is so neat and devoid of personality that it depresses Ronan on a fundamental level. He grabs the blue dry erase marker and starts scrawling dirty jokes in Latin on the whiteboard. The marker squeaks horribly, emphasizing the silence, _their_ silence.

“You got the verb conjugation wrong,” Adam says, stepping up behind Ronan and using his fingers to erase one of the words. He takes the marker and writes in the proper word. Ronan snorts something that sounds like _college guy_.

“So… are you going to ask or are you going to make me spell it out?” Adam asks. He sits down on the edge of the table, shoulders hunched forwards, fingers laced together between his knees.

“Well,” Ronan huffs as he collapses into one of the rolling chairs and spins it around a few times, “I could ask why you were naked in front of any entire classroom but I’m pretty sure I know the answer.”

Adam blushes and looks away.

“I just don’t understand why you’re acting like it’s a big deal,” Ronan says. He’s trying so hard to be careful because clearly Adam is upset.

“It’s not a big deal, I mean, being a model for an art class isn’t something I’m ashamed of I just wish…” Adam pauses, takes a deep breath. His hands are gripping each other so hard that his knuckles are white. “I wish that I had told you before. But I couldn’t think of a good way to bring it up and I didn’t want you to get weird about it.”

Ronan twirls in his chair, thinking it over. “Look, it’s not like you were cheating. And I totally trust you so if this is something you want to do I’m not going to say no. Jesus. I’m not that guy, Adam. I don’t want to ever be that guy.”

“I know! But then my roommates found out and they were like ‘oh your boyfriend won’t like it.’ So I got all insecure…”

Ronan scoots his chair over to Adam, moving until he’s right in front of him, hands braced on Adam’s knees. “Parrish. For the love of fuck those assholes don’t know shit about me. _You_ do. Now, tell me, how did you end up modeling in the first place? Not trying to pick a fight but you’ve never struck me as the type—”

“To get naked in front of strangers?” Adam supplies. His mouth quirks up in a brief smile that’s equal parts self-deprecating and amused. “Actually, the art teacher approached me about it. I was helping her last semester with some research for one of the pieces she’s working on and she told me that I have a really interesting face and that I should think about modeling for her class.” Ronan snorts. “Yeah, well, I didn’t think much of it at first. But we talked about it some more and I found out how much it paid and what would be expected of me, and I talked to a few students who model.”

Ronan laughs. “God, you love researching don’t you?”

Adam nods. “It’s what I’m good at. The bottom line is that it’s a good opportunity. It doesn’t interfere with my classes and all the students are professional and respectful.” Adam splays his hands out in front of him, like he’s offering Ronan the answer, spread out on his palms. Ronan presses his hands, palm to palm, with Adam’s. They sit like that for several moments, studying each other, like they can communicate just with their eyes and the touch of their skin. Adam takes a deep, relieved breath, letting it out slowly.

“C’mere,” Ronan says, gently pulling at Adam’s wrists. Adam moves from the table to Ronan’s lap, straddling him, arms looped around his shoulders, their foreheads pressed together. “I kinda feel like I should say something really heart-felt right now,” Ronan murmurs, his breath ghosting along Adam’s cheek.

Adam laughs, “Please don’t.”

“Oh, good.” Ronan’s nose brushes against Adam’s, making both of them grin. “I will say though, I want to see those drawings when they’re done. Might have to pilfer one. For reasons.”

“Oh, reasons? What reasons could those be?”

“Adam Parrish, are you trying to get me to talk dirty to you in a library? For shame!”

Adam’s laugh is too loud for a library. “Libraries are great for dirty talk. Let me just guide you to the HQ section…”

“Are you going to give me more required reading? Is that what this is all about, a ploy to bring me to your domain and bury me in erotica?”

“Oh my God! _The Song of Achilles_ is not erotica!”

Ronan hugs Adam to him and kisses his collarbone. “I’m just kidding. You know I loved the hell out of that book.”

“Uh-huh, come on, you heathen. Let’s get out of here.” Adam grabs Ronan’s hands and drags him to his feet. And just like that their equilibrium is restored. Adam hugs Ronan one more time and whispers in his ear, “Thanks.”

Ronan whispers back, “You owe me a drawing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Closing notes: Adam is a great model! He’s very professional and he can hold a pose for hours, no problem. He just zones out and thinks about Cabeswater or the tarot just like he did when he used to scry. Random personal fact: my college roommate used to model for the art department so I’m kind of borrowing from her experience!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @dkafterdark


End file.
